


Behind the Facade

by EmPoweredBeing



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Pregnancy Scares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmPoweredBeing/pseuds/EmPoweredBeing
Summary: Ginny Weasley has a problem and goes to Headmistress McGonagall for help. In doing so, she gets to look behind the facade.
Relationships: Minerva McGonagall & Ginny Weasley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	Behind the Facade

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: My new friend Lib McGranger pointed out that I apparently think Ginny is a bit of a loose woman, as I've had rather a lot of fics where she's had an implied pregnancy scare. So. She told me to write one. And I did lol She's bossy like that :P**
> 
> **There's talk of this being a sequel to a fic I have also been told to write - by Spin this time - but I haven't written that yet...so I can't really say much about it.**
> 
> **Thank you to Spin and Lib McGranger for going through this for me! You are both goddesses. And thank you to Mellie (Lissien) for suggesting the topic of Transfiguration Today's latest ethical study!**
> 
> _Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended._
> 
> -0-

Minerva was sipping a well-deserved fire whisky in her private quarters late one evening while she thumbed through the latest edition of Transfiguration Today. It had been a while since she'd had time to read it and with no discernable monsters out roaming the castle, she sighed happily as she put her feet up. 

Just as she turned the page to read the rest of a new study on the ethics of turning animate objects into inanimate ones, there was a knock at the door. She turned her eyes skyward and sighed.

"Yes, what is it?"

The voice of the stone griffin filled the office, with a sardonic air that told her she would not be finishing that article tonight.

"Miss Weasley, Headmistress. She looks," he sighed. "Distraught."

"Balls," Minerva huffed. "Let her in."

He hadn't been lying. Ginny stumbled in, looking terrified and Minerva got up to greet her with a little wince as her still-healing hip caught a little.

"Gracious Miss Weasley, whatever is the matter?" 

"I -" 

She was trembling so hard that Minerva thought that she very well may collapse. She immediately wrapped an arm around her and guided her to the sofa where Ginny burst into tears and curled up in a ball. 

Minerva rolled her eyes skyward again and sighed. Contrary to common belief, it wasn't that she couldn't comfort a crying student—she was a teacher, after all—it was that so many believed her to be incapable that she almost never saw them. Whomever her students usually went to for comfort never reported to her, so she did what any decent teacher would do and wrapped her arms around Ginny, holding her tightly.

As Ginny cried, Minerva tried to guess the problem that she'd found herself in. Perhaps Mr Potter had broken it off with her, although that seemed unlikely. From everything she’d ever witnessed, he seemed besotted with the girl. Or perhaps she'd had a fight with Miss Granger, though again, that seemed unlikely. Unless it was Gryffindor Quidditch team related?

"Ginny," Minerva said gently, trying the first name approach. "Take some deep breaths for me, dear."

"I can't -"

"Just concentrate on breathing." 

Ginny sat up, her breath coming in fits. Her tears were unending and Minerva tried to make a reassuring hushing noise as she sought to wipe as many as she could away from Ginny's cheeks.

"Sorry," Ginny managed.

"Dinna fash yerself, love," Minerva said gently. "Whatever it is, it will work out."

"No," Ginny groaned. "No, it won't." 

"Help me understand then," Minerva said gently. "What has happened?"

"I can't -"

"You can," Minerva smiled. "I have, no doubt, heard it  _ all _ before."

Her face went red, her ears almost matching the colour of Minerva's tartan slippers and finally, Minerva had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what was going on.

"Darling, it's okay. Talk to me."

"I think," she hiccupped. "I think I might be -"

Minerva nodded at her encouragingly. 

She stood up suddenly and covered her mouth. "Oh Merlin, I think I'm going to be sick."

"First door on the right," Minerva said, pointing to the corridor behind her desk.

Ginny raced through the room and slammed the door behind her, and Minerva winced, swallowing against the rising bile when she heard the retching.

"Bloody bollocking balls."

She stood, knocking back the rest of her whisky and with a rather unimpressed eye roll, she activated the Floo.

"Good evening," Poppy smiled, greeting her. "Are you alright?"

"Quite," Minerva nodded. "Do you have a pregnancy test potion on hand?"

"Minerva?"

"Not for me, you arsehole."

"Well, you never call, you never write, how am I to know how you are doing these days?" Poppy's grin was nearly enough to make Minerva hex her through the fire.

"Poppy, for goodness sake! You're six months younger than me!" Minerva watched Poppy trying not to laugh.

"Look, all I'm saying is, I remember when someone else was here rummaging through my store-room looking for something specific."

"Bite me, woman."

"I did say I was going to tease you all those years ago," Poppy smirked. "Hang on a moment, I'll get one.”

Minerva waited, trying to ignore the pull on her back as she knelt by the fireplace. She checked behind her to see if Ginny had returned, but could still hear her being sick. Poppy finally reappeared and passed a bottle through the flames.

"Do you need me?"

"Not yet, perhaps not at all."

"One of yours?"

"Mhmm," Minerva smiled. "It doesn't matter how many times we tell them, there's always one."

Poppy gave an exasperated snort and waved her goodbye. Minerva returned to her sofa with a deep groan as she got to her feet. She heard the water running and tried to rearrange her pained expression into a smile as Ginny peeked her sad face out of the bathroom.

"Come here, love," Minerva said, nodding to the sofa. "I'm not going to ask who, unless it is someone I am not expecting?"

Ginny shook her head.

"And I'm not really interested in when. I remember the end of my first war." Ginny stared at her and Minerva raised an eyebrow in reply, allowing Ginny to giggle at her expense. "I may be old, Miss Weasley, but I am not dead."

Ginny really did laugh then and she sniffed, clasping her hands together on top of her thighs. "What if I am -"

"Then you will need to discuss that with Mr Potter. I can point out your options, but I feel like Harry is man enough to handle that conversation, even though you are the one that ultimately needs to make that decision."

She nodded but chewed her lip, obviously considering how to phrase what she wanted to say next. "I don't want to end up like Mum."

Minerva smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around her again, pulling her back against the sofa. "Your mother wanted nothing more than a passel of children. I shall spare you the details but it was not unusual to find your mother  _ and father _ in detention for being caught after hours in the corridors."

"Oh, Merlin, Professor, please!"

Minerva chuckled.

"I tried to tell her, so many times, but she would hear nothing of it. She wanted babies and she wanted them as soon as possible. Her mother was incensed."

"I don't know much about Granny."

"No," Minerva sighed. "You wouldn't."

"I think she died after Fr -" She paused. "After the twins were born?"

Minerva's heart sank and she squeezed Ginny against her for a moment, kissing her hair. "She did. Before Ronald was born."

"Did you know her?"

"I did actually," Minerva smiled. "I went to school with her."

"You don't seem that old."

"I'll thank you and then remind you not to mention my age," Minerva chuckled. "I can promise you when you get to be as old as I am, you feel every moment of it."

"You don't look that much older than Mum though. Why did Granny die so early?"

"I do not think she ever got over the murder of her sons," Minerva said, not unkindly. "Your mother didn't take it well either. Does she talk of her brothers at all?"

"No," Ginny shrugged. "Charlie mentioned them once and she dropped our dinner on the floor. That was the first time we ever went out to eat."

"You would have liked them both. They were funny when they needed to be, just like Fred,” she swallowed thickly, “and George, but they had such lovely dispositions, not unlike Bill."

"I forget she's been through so much," Ginny sighed, rolling into Minerva's side. Bemused, but not unhappy about it, Minerva waited for her to settle before she wrapped her arm around her again. "What would you do?"

"Oh no, my dear. That is the downside of being old enough to deal with this yourself. Only you can make that decision."

"I don't want to be my mother. I want to do things. I want to be able to live."

"And if you  _ are _ pregnant," Ginny shivered and Minerva soothed her gently. "Then, honestly, you're not in the worst position to be so. You're in your final year and you know your mother would help you, let alone the fact that Harry thinks the world of you. You have a solid group of friends around you and you are a very smart, very resourceful young woman. There are also options available to you, should you decide that you," she paused. "Cannot, or do not want to, go through with this."

"What about you?" Minerva chuckled and looked down at her, the question unasked on her face. "No," Ginny laughed. "I meant, about my friends or," she looked away. "You know."

"I was rather including myself in that 'solid group of friends', but Miss Weasley," she tutted. "Ginny. If you ever need anything, my door is always open, as you have found out tonight."

Ginny nodded and they fell silent for a while, the ticking clock and the crackling fire the only disturbance in the lull.

"I don't think I could do that to Harry," Minerva frowned. "I mean about the," Ginny winced. "Other options."

"Which is why it is important for you to have this conversation with  _ him _ and not with your old Transfiguration Professor."

"Whatever," Ginny sighed. "You're not old. You're like, a Goddess or something.”

"Ginny!" she laughed.

"You are," Ginny smiled. "Just own it. You’re terrifying too, at times but," she settled against Minerva's shoulder. "I see why Hermione likes talking to you all the time. You're really good at listening."

Minerva smiled, remembering a time when she wasn't such a great listener. She and Albus had knocked heads time and time again, descending into all out fights during their earliest moments of working together until she had finally heard what he was saying. The first time they had managed to keep it from a chaotic mess of frustration and annoyance, he had beamed at her and they had parted as tentative friends. What a journey they had been on together and how deeply she missed him. 

"Here," she said gently, passing Ginny the potion. "Do what it says on the bottle. It is one hundred percent accurate so no false positives or anything like that."

"I have so many questions that are not prudent, nor very polite."

"Like I said," Minerva smiled sadly. "I was young once and the end of a war is a rather heady time."

"Yeah I'll face down Death Eaters, no worries," Ginny grinned. "But I’m not gonna ask you about that though."

As Minerva chuckled, she realised how nice it was to talk to Ginny, even with such a subject hanging over their heads. Talking to Hermione was delightful and she enjoyed it immensely, but talking to Ginny was just as gratifying only with a lighter feel. Sometimes she would close the door on Hermione with a yawn after debating topics that were so intense that it required all of her brain power, but Ginny was happy to just sit and chat.

"Guess I'd better go."

"Stay, if you like. Take that tomorrow morning," she sighed. "Though I am all for facing a situation head on, it's easier in the morning."

"Mhmm, if you say so," Ginny said knowingly. "You sure about me staying?"

"I am," Minerva smiled. "Hermione often does."

"You're pretty amazing, McG. I didn't understand before, how Hermione talks about you," Ginny sat up, studying her hands. "But I do now."

"It is a lot easier to see you as an adult now than it is to see you as a student. Our year in the Castle under the Carrows was -" It was her turn to shudder. " _ Difficult. _ I should have told you this then when it mattered, but I have never been more proud of you."

Ginny smiled and took Minerva's hand, squeezing it in her own and stood. 

"I think I'm going to go back to my dormitory, but I'll," she shrugged. "Let you know, I guess."

"Alright, sweetheart," Minerva nodded, not getting up. "Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Yes," Ginny smiled. "I feel better, whatever happens tomorrow."

"Good," Minerva nodded. 

Ginny took a step away before she stopped and turned back around. Minerva watched a debate wage across her face before she leaned forward, dropping a kiss on Minerva's head.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered.

"You're welcome, child," Minerva smiled. "Sleep. Albus used to tell me things always look better in the morning. This will too."

Ginny waved and exited the rooms, leaving Minerva to sit staring at the doorway for a long while before she realised it was far past her own bedtime. She groaned happily as she slid beneath the sheets, finally able to take the weight off her hip. She considered, for just a moment, what it would have been like had she had children, before pushing it from her mind. 

She had children. She'd had hundreds, thousands of them even. Each one of them was important but a few were even more extraordinary than that. She fell asleep, thinking about all those students that she had come to adore like she did Harry and Hermione and Ginny. Just as she dropped off, she realised that  _ if  _ Ginny really was pregnant, it would be a merging between the Weasley clan and the Potters. 

And she resolved that if that did happen, she'd retire before any of them arrived at Hogwarts.

Someone else could put their time in. She would be done.

-0-

On her way to breakfast the next morning, something careered into her in the corridor outside the Great Hall. She blustered about for a good moment before realising that Ginny had wrapped her arms around her and was grinning happily.

"Negative."

Minerva beamed, cupping her cheek and patting it gently.

"I had already made the decision to retire in time to avoid being here for their enrollment, so the Board will be pleased." 

Ginny laughed and looped her arm in hers, while Hermione did the same on the other side. 

"You girls are very dear to me, you know that don't you?" she said quietly.

"Yeah Min," Hermione grinned. "We know."

"Cheeky," Minerva shook her head. "But good, now get out of here." 

They laughed and walked towards the Gryffindor table, finding seats with Demelza and a few others while Minerva sat in her seat, watching over her precious charges at the start of a new day.


End file.
